In the course of fighting a fire, firefighters frequently find it necessary to gain entry into buildings or exit through walls or doors in emergency situations by breaking away sections of the structure. Firefighters must also often create ventilation openings or chimneys in structures to vent the fire in the course of performing their duties. These and other operations often require the use of various firefighting tools such as pike poles, axes, hammers, saws and other devices.
Gaining entry into or seeking an exit from a building may require a firefighter pry away structural components. Providing openings in walls or ceilings for entry or exit or for ventilation may require hammering action or require walls or structural components be hammered or chopped. Hammering is also required for breaking out windows and doors.
One common tool used by firefighters to perform operations, as mentioned above, is termed a “pike pole.” A pike pole has an elongate shaft or handle with a sharpened, piercing end which may be used to create openings in walls and ceilings. The traditional pike pole also has a hook-shaped arm that is spaced inward from the piercing end and may be used to engage walls and ceilings and pry away sections of the walls or ceiling.
Because of the various operations described above and the various situations firefighters may encounter, it may be necessary for firefighters to have access to an assortment of tools such as hammers, pry bars and pike poles, as described, to effectively combat fires. It is not always possible for a firefighter to be equipped with the various tools necessary to carry out the operations mentioned above. Even if a firefighter enters a building with several tools, it is often necessary for a firefighter to select a tool and place the unused tool in an out-of-the-way location. If the immediate task requires a different tool, the firefighter must change tools which is time-consuming and may be difficult in the course of fighting the fire due to heat fire, smoke and debris conditions. As a result, various combination firefighting tools have been developed over the years.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,724 shows a combination fire axe which includes an elongate handle having a head member disposed at one end of the handle and pike member at the opposite end. The head member includes a base secured to the handle with a cutting portion having a convex edge disposed on one side of the base. An enlarged end portion having a blunt face is disposed on the opposite side of the base. The pike member includes a base portion secured to the handle and a wedge-shaped pike end portion and a hook member extending outwardly from the pike member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,854 shows a firefighting tool intended for making a hole in the ceiling. The tool includes a body, a hook and a handle. The body has a first terminal end and a second terminal end. The hook has a working area and is disposed on the first terminal end of the body and pierces ceilings. The handle is pivotally mounted to the second terminal end and extends perpendicularly outward from both sides of the body.
Another example of the tool of this type is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,288 which teaches a wrecking tool for piercing wall and ceiling surfaces for enabling easy removal of sections thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,793 relates to a firefighting device for breaking holes in ceilings, walls and the like. A battery and cutting edge extends downwardly from the pointed tip and a horizontal bottom blade extends perpendicular to the axis of an adaptor which is attached to the blade portion and to a pole for gripping by the firefighter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,623 teaches a firefighting tool having a flat blade with a pointed leading end for piercing through structural panels. A plurality of stop teeth members are provided for engaging the structural that has been pierced.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,183 relates to a firefighter's tool which includes a base shaft within which telescoping expandable tubular sections are stored. A retractable power cord extends through the tubular sections to a motor mounted on the distal end of the outermost telescoping section.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that various wrecking and demolition tools have been developed and are shown in the prior art to assist firefighters in fighting fires. Some of these tools are combination tools which can be used to perform various functions. While these various tools may be suitable for particular purposes, there nevertheless exists a need for a combination tool which can be used by a firefighter to selectively perform a number of functions and which tool is efficient in its design and use.